Munei Netsharotha from Tshivhase Secondary School in Limpopo who has constructed the hydrogen fuel vehicle

“I believe that with your support we can create something groundbreaking for South Africa”

By Sanele Zondi and Qaqamba Matundu

The National Science Week 2024 launch took place at the Central University of Technology on Saturday. This year’s theme is “Living in a High-Tech World: Should We Be Concerned?”

The launch was conducted in partnership with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), the business unit of the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Learners from different schools, exhibitors, students, and community members from across the province attended the event.

National Science Week is an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and innovation. It brings together students and members of the public for workshops, science exhibitions, and lectures.

National Science Week will kick off from 30 September to 5 October 2024.

Addressing the crowd at the launch, The Minister of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande stressed that one of his duties in their division is teaching South Africans about the importance of science and its transformative potential for communities.  

“Science is very important for our young people. There are many careers in science. I hope that 10 years from now amongst the leaders who will be here, there will be those who will say I went to the science week in the Free State in Mangaung, today. I’m the scientist,” said Prof Nzimande.

The minister also highlighted the Astro-tourism initiative they unveiled last week and stressed the value of astronomy and the need for people not to denigrate it.

He mentioned that few people know how important the study of astronomy is and what are the products that we derive from astronomy.

”Without astronomy we’ll not be having WiFi, WiFi is a direct product of astronomy, we’ll also not be having the GPS without studying the universe and the stars,” said Prof Nzimande.

The minister mentioned their 10-year strategy for innovation, technology, and science, which he said it aims to address many issues that science has a responsibility to help address, such as climate change.

“We are faced with climate change now, we have to find scientific solutions to deal with negative impacts of climate change,” Prof Nzimande added.

“We have for instance come with innovations for new infrastructure that might be able to deal with aggress effects of climate change,” said Nzimande.

He also congratulated the grade 12 learner, Munei Netsharotha from Tshivhase Secondary School in Limpopo who has constructed the hydrogen fuel vehicle. He said National Science Week and Munei’s invention aligns perfectly with one of their departmental priorities, hydrogen economy, as an alternative renewable source of energy.

“The main aim of this project is to develop a sustainable technology that can benefit not only South Africa but the world at large,” said Netsharotha.

Given the opportunity to talk Netsharotha said that with this technology fuel costs can be reduced.

“I believe that with your support we can create something groundbreaking for South Africa. This is not just for step forward for us, but also for this world. Together we can make South Africa, a leader of green technology,” Netsharotha closed his speech.

“There are going to be lots of activities in the coming week. We invite all those who have a chance to actually engage. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now indeed my pleasure to declare the 2024 National Science Week officially,” said Prof Nzimande.